DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Thursday 11/7/19
The NBA has a small night of hoops for us as there's only four games to choose from. Tonight's slate leaves us with a small variety of options in DFS, so let's take a look at how to narrow down the possibilities. Here are some of the top plays and sleepers on DraftKings. As always, good luck.
Point Guard
Terry Rozier ($6,800) -- Rozier will play his first game against his former team, the Boston Celtics and if you're into narratives, he will have something to prove. He matches up with Kemba Walker ($9,300) as well as former teammate Marcus Smart ($5,700). We should be in for a treat as Rozier's first season as a starter has been impressive, and the Hornets have won three straight games. He's averaged 16.9 points, 5.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds in seven games with the Hornets. Our model projects Rozier to eclipse his season-long point total tonight (19.6) and he's taken at least 14 shots in the past five games.
Kemba Walker ($9,300) -- Walker is averaging 26.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his first season with the Celtics. Our model projects Walker for 25.8 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds tonight matched up with Rozier in a bit of a role reversal from last year. Walked scored 32 or more in three-straight games before netting 25 with a season-high 8 rebounds against the Cavaliers. Walker has four straight games of at least 46.5 fantasy points and should continue that streak in Charlotte against his former team.
Shooting Guard
DeMar DeRozan ($7,500) -- DeRozan is 27th in scoring (20.6) and 32nd in usage rating (26.4%) for the 4-3 Spurs. DeRozan has had three straight games of at least 30 fantasy points and has averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 assists and 3.0 rebounds during that span. Our model projects him to get back on track with 19.5 points, 5.4 assists and 5.1 rebounds tonight versus the Thunder. The Spurs have lost two-straight and are the home favorites tonight. Expect DeRozan to carry the load offensively versus a tough OKC defense.
Tyler Herro ($5,500) -- Herro has been hot and cold this season, and in the Heat's 20-point loss to the Denver Nuggets last time out everybody was cold. Before that one, Herro scored double-digits in five of six games. During the Heat's three-game winning streak, Herro averaged 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4,9 assists per game. Miami is playing in Phoenix, and the Suns have allowed 31 three-pointers over their last three games while Herro hoisted 14 treys during Miami's three-game winning streak.
Small Forward
Kawhi Leonard ($9,600) -- Leonard sat out in the Bucks-Clippers thriller last night due to load management, and L.A. kept it to a 5-point loss, 129-124. The Clippers' role players were phenomenal, and with Leonard back in the lineup against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight, he will take the load off them. He's the night's projected top scorer with 27.4 points, per our numbers. For the season, Leonard is fourth in scoring at 29.3 points per game on 30.3 minutes. Any game he suits up on a short-slate like tonight, he's pretty much a must-play option no matter the cost.
Devin Booker ($8,400) -- The Heat and Suns are 5-2, and that's not something many people imagined would be possible for either team. Jimmy Butler ($7,200) has done it all for the Heat while the same can be said for Booker. Booker (24.0) is projected to outscore Butler (19.4) tonight, and after the Suns beat the Philadelphia 76ers on Booker's 40 points, I'd tend to agree. Booker is 10th in scoring (26.1) and is shooting 50 percent from three through seven games. Both teams like the shoot the triple, and this matchup has the second-highest over/under (218.5) of the night, putting Booker in a great spot.
Power Forward
LaMarcus Aldridge ($6,900) -- Our model projects Aldridge at 19.1 points and 9.4 rebounds tonight in a matchup with OKC after some inconsistent play over the past five games. Twice he's scored single-digits in the last five games and is averaging 14.6 points and 6.0 rebounds over the Spurs' last three games. San Antonio has a variety of young talent, but they still rely on veterans Aldridge and DeRozan to carry the load offensively. Aldridge hasn't had a double-double yet this season, but I like his chances tonight.
Jayson Tatum ($7,300) -- The power forward position is slim. Jaylen Brown returns tonight after battling an infection, so expect him to take some of Tatum's and Gordon Hayward's ($7,300) shots away. The Celtics should rely on Tatum and Walker in Charlotte in a contest between two of the hottest teams in the East. Tatum's projections are 16.9 points and 6.7 rebounds, per our algorithm.
Center
Hassan Whiteside ($6,400) -- The Blazers haven't played since Monday, and Whiteside had one of his best games in that one, scoring a season-high 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the 127-118 loss to the Warriors. Whiteside is averaging 14.3 points and 12.0 rebounds in his first season with Portland after being traded for Meyers Leonard ($4,700). Portland is clearly winning that trade, and Whiteside will get a Clippers team that's on a back-to-back. Our model projects Hassan short of a double-double with 13.9 points and 8.5 rebounds, but he's had less than nine boards just once this season.
Aron Baynes ($5,800) -- Baynes is quietly putting together quality starts for the Suns without Deandre Ayton in the lineup. He's scoring 15.0 points per game while pulling down 5.9 boards. Our model projects Baynes to post 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds tonight versus the Heat in a game that should be an up-and-down affair.
Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice Vaughn Dalzell also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
